with Donna Gray

That dreaded blue computer screen — and the importance of a good backup plan

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My computer recently decided to take a sick day. Needless to say, it couldn’t have happened at a worse time. I arrived at my office early in the morning all set to work on several timely projects, turned on the computer, and bam … all that appeared was a blue screen. Since my computer was still fairly new, I wasn’t prepared for that, nor was I ready for the frustrations that would come with being out of touch for a while.

I’m of Italian descent, so after I was through waving my arms and letting my computer know how insulted I was that it had let me down, I took action. I exercised my backup plan and called for help. It’s good to have a backup plan for the times when a business is surprised with an unexpected interruption.

In previous blog posts, I’ve talked about the importance of working with local businesses. Well, in this case, a local company, Madison Computer Works, came to my rescue. Brian Lisse and his team sell computers, but even more importantly, they run one of the best computer hospitals in the Midwest. They know their computers! I didn’t have to take a number or leave my computer and wait to hear its fate. Dr. Brian was able to diagnose what happened, operate, and get the computer into recovery stage by the next morning — a feat that shows that local companies really care.

I’ve never claimed to be a techie. I admit that there are still quite a few things that I haven’t committed to my personal store of tech knowledge, but my friend Dr. Brian taught me something that I am compelled to pass on, even if you already knew it. Should your computer suddenly present a blue screen, grab the nearest camera and take a picture of the screen. This will help your computer hospital diagnose the problem and prescribe the best course of action to get you up and running again.